Prepared for POMPOM Ventures
March 2026
About Sellers Hub
Sellers Hub is a recruiting firm focused exclusively on sales talent.
We help B2B companies hire revenue-driving professionals who can generate pipeline, manage complex sales cycles, build territory, and close business in demanding sales environments.
Our strongest alignment is with companies hiring in Insurance, Manufacturing, and B2B SaaS, along with organizations building global or hybrid sales teams.
Our approach is headhunting-first. Instead of relying on reactive job postings, we map the market, identify candidates with the right experience, technical knowledge, and behavioral strengths, and proactively engage top performers, including those who are not actively exploring new roles.
Our process typically identifies the top 100 relevant candidates, narrows the field to the best 3 to 5, and reaches shortlist stage within 4 to 6 weeks.
In 2025, 90% of our clients returned for a second search. We offer Retained Search, Multi-Hire Campaigns, and Global Talent solutions, including flexible subscription-based hiring options for companies scaling offshore or hybrid teams.
Our Specialties
We assess beyond resumes and interviews to identify candidates who can actually generate pipeline, manage complexity, execute consistently, and ramp into production.
We support insurance agencies, brokerages, carriers, and related firms hiring producers and commercial sales talent where discipline, relationship-building, and time-to-revenue matter.
We recruit sales talent for technical and operationally complex environments where territory ownership, long sales cycles, and industry fluency are critical.
We help companies build cost-efficient sales capacity through global and hybrid team structures, especially for SDR, support, and growth-stage sales functions.
The Challenge
| Challenge | What it means |
|---|---|
| Nontraditional role | This is not a standard nonprofit development officer position. It requires real sales DNA wrapped in mission-driven conviction. Most candidates will fit one side or the other, not both. |
| Dual-entity complexity | The right person must be credible in two very different rooms: community donors and institutional investors. That combination is rare. |
The role sits at an unusual intersection: nonprofit fundraising, venture capital BD, community building, and mission-driven sales. Traditional job boards will surface traditional candidates. The people who can actually do this job are currently employed in roles where they are performing well but not feeling fulfilled by the mission.
A structured headhunting approach is required to find and attract these candidates before they settle into their next conventional role.
The Role
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | BD / Fundraising Lead |
| Focus | Donations, corporate partnerships, grants (Foundation) and institutional investor relationships (Ventures) |
| Ideal Background | Financial services, nonprofit major gifts, or mission-driven SaaS sales |
| Must-Haves | Self-starter, emotionally connected to the mission, credible with both community donors and institutional investors |
| Timeline | Yesterday |
Our Framework
We use our SELLER Framework to assess whether a candidate can perform in a real sales environment, not just interview well.
A demonstrated history of closing. Not just "relationship management" but actual revenue or donation generation with measurable results. We look for quota attainment, deal size progression, and the ability to move from conversation to commitment.
Understanding of nonprofit fundraising mechanics, donor psychology, or institutional investment. Ideally, exposure to both. The candidate must be credible when speaking with a corporate foundation officer and equally credible when speaking with a venture LP.
POMPOM is early-stage and evolving. The comp structure, the funnel, the messaging - all of it is being built in real time. The right candidate must absorb ambiguity and turn it into action without waiting for a playbook.
This role is fundamentally about emotional connection. Lou said it himself: "You're connecting emotionally to those with kids or those that want to inspire." We assess for genuine warmth, storytelling ability, and the capacity to make the ask feel like a shared purpose, not a transaction.
No babysitting. Lou needs someone who will run their own calendar, build their own pipeline, and drive their own activity without being managed. We assess for self-direction, follow-through, and comfort operating without infrastructure.
The candidate who thrives here is at a career inflection point: accomplished enough to have credibility but hungry for something more meaningful than their current role. We assess whether this move represents genuine career alignment, not just a leap of faith.
Proof of Concept
The searches below are the closest analogues to the POMPOM Ventures challenge: roles requiring a blend of commercial skill and specialized domain knowledge, where candidates could not simply be sourced from a job board.
Placing an Enterprise Account Executive for a Specialist Technical Platform
IBT Apps, a core banking technology platform serving community banks, needed to hire a Senior Sales Account Executive to expand revenue among financial institutions with approximately $250 million to $1 billion in assets. The role required a consultative enterprise software seller with strong knowledge of banking operations and financial systems, as well as the ability to engage bank CEOs and senior leadership, communicate the value of a complex platform, and work closely with internal product and technical teams.
Sellers Hub conducted a targeted search across the financial technology ecosystem, focusing on candidates working within core banking platforms and adjacent banking technology providers where individuals already had credibility within the community banking sector.
IBT Apps hired a senior sales professional with strong core banking technology experience and deep industry relationships, strengthening the company's ability to expand within the community banking market.
Targeted Competitor Search in a Fast-Moving Technical Market
Adlumin, a cybersecurity security operations platform, engaged Sellers Hub during a national expansion of its commercial organization to recruit two strategic hires: a Northeast Channel Manager and an Enterprise Account Executive. Leadership specifically wanted candidates from competing cybersecurity platforms such as Darktrace and Arctic Wolf, making this a highly targeted competitor search within a crowded and fast-moving market.
Sellers Hub conducted a focused search across competing cybersecurity companies, targeting high-performing sales and channel professionals already selling complex security platforms into enterprise and mid-market organizations.
Adlumin made two hires from the candidate slate presented by Sellers Hub. Both individuals went on to become the number one and number two performers on their respective sales teams, strengthening the relationship and leading Adlumin to return for additional recruiting support as the company continued expanding.
Investment
For companies hiring experienced sales, BD, or fundraising talent in the U.S.
of year-one guaranteed compensation (base or draw)
Fee structure: 1/3 at engagement, 1/3 at shortlist delivery, 1/3 at placement.
For companies looking to build cost-efficient sales or support capacity through vetted, English-proficient global talent.
Tailored solutions for rapid team buildout. Cost-efficient approach for multiple placements within a single campaign.
Who We Work With
Trusted by growth-oriented companies hiring sales talent in specialized and high-performance environments.
How We Work
Our process is rigorous, transparent, and built to find candidates who would never surface through job postings or LinkedIn InMail.
All stakeholders attend a full briefing session to define competencies, responsibilities, objectives, and required industry experience. We agree on timelines, scope, target companies, and the employee value proposition.
We systematically map all target organizations and identify every viable candidate who looks to have the capability and experience for the assigned position.
Approaching each candidate intelligently and discreetly, using a blend of communication methods. All candidates with the desired skills and experience who are interested will be deemed suitable for the longlist.
Using competency-based assessment techniques, we carry out face-to-face assessments with longlisted candidates against core functional and behavioral requirements.
We complete the full search and then jointly select the shortlist for interview on completion, or present candidates as they pass our assessment.
The whole process is completely transparent. During each update, we share all results. You will see every candidate identified, approached, assessed, and the outcomes.
Full support to arrange interviews with each candidate, taking feedback at regular intervals and ensuring each party is fully informed at every stage.
We present the offer to the successful candidate and support through any negotiation, staying in regular contact with both parties until the candidate starts.
Timeline
A typical search reaches shortlist stage within 4 to 6 weeks, depending on role complexity, market conditions, and interview speed. We can flex timelines based on urgency and project scope.
| Phase | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Briefing | |||||||
| Target List & Mapping | |||||||
| Candidate Generation | |||||||
| Shortlisting | |||||||
| Candidate Management | |||||||
| Offer Management |
The standard two-week candidate notice period is not included in the timeline above but is typical once an offer is accepted.
Who We Would Target
Based on our conversation, here are three candidate archetypes mapped to the talent pools we would target. Each represents a different path to the same outcome: someone who can close with conviction and connect with purpose. We are sharing these so you can tell us which direction resonates most, and we will prioritize accordingly once the search begins.
12+ years in SaaS sales with a current focus on nonprofit healthcare technology. Currently leads a team selling fund accounting and philanthropic impact software, having grown the team from 3 to 10 and built the division's go-to-market strategy. Recognized as Manager of the Year and a 4x President's Club winner. Identifies as a "Nonprofit Tech Strategist" alongside sales leadership, with a background that includes mentoring and coaching. Combines deep nonprofit sector knowledge with proven commercial execution, making him well suited for roles that require both sales performance and mission credibility.
13+ years in nonprofit fundraising with a track record of rapid career progression. Currently oversees major gifts at a high-profile NYC organization, previously serving as Principal Philanthropy Officer responsible for cultivating and soliciting VIP and high-net-worth donors and prospects at the $500K+ level. Progressed from events coordinator to director-level in under five years. Experienced in co-developing fundraising strategies and cross-departmental collaboration across multiple mission-driven organizations. Brings donor cultivation expertise, corporate partnership experience, and the ambition to take on a larger scope.
23 years in financial services and capital markets. Currently covers North America fund distribution at a top-tier global investment management firm, building and managing institutional investor relationships daily. Background spans equity research, portfolio management, PE, and M&A. Founded his own 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on food insecurity and equitable access to nutrition. Appointed to a Manhattan Community Board and active in NYC civic life. Combines deep financial services BD expertise with a demonstrated personal commitment to purpose-driven work, making him well suited for roles that bridge institutional investor relationships and mission-driven organizations.
The People Behind the Search
Founded by an industry veteran with 18 years of experience, including 17 years specifically focused on sales and leadership recruitment, Sellers Hub has honed a deep expertise in finding and placing top talent. Since our establishment in 2017, our team has grown to include an Account Director, four direct Account Managers, a Business Development Manager, a Marketing Specialist, and an Operations Assistant.
Our approach is built for organizations that need more than resumes. We combine specialized market insight, direct search execution, and structured sales evaluation to help clients make stronger hires with less guesswork. We focus on forming long-term partnerships with clients to help them grow revenues, expand market share, and scale their businesses effectively.
Get Started
We are looking forward to being part of this, Lou.